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England will wear their traditional all-white kit in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina, after the South American champions reportedly asked to play in their blue away strip.

As the designated ‘home’ team, the Three Lions will take to the pitch in their home colours. Thomas Tuchel’s side have appeared in their home kit throughout the 2026 World Cup, except during their final group stage encounter against Panama.

Argentina, on the other hand, have mostly worn their iconic light blue and white striped jersey, with the exception of their 3-1 group-stage victory over Jordan. However, it has been confirmed that they will switch to their dark-blue away shirt for the semi-final clash.

According to Argentine journalist Gaston Edu, the request for the kit change came from Argentina themselves, though neither FIFA nor the Argentina Football Association has officially confirmed this. The darker kit choice carries a sense of nostalgia, as it has accompanied some of Argentina’s most memorable victories over England in World Cup history.

In the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, Diego Maradona, wearing a dark blue shirt and black shorts, scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal before producing one of the greatest individual efforts ever seen in football, dribbling past five English players to double the lead. Argentina triumphed 2-1 on that occasion, knocking England out of the tournament.

Twelve years later, at the 1998 World Cup, Argentina once again eliminated England—this time on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Round of 16. Wearing their blue kit once more, Argentina benefitted from David Beckham’s red card after a retaliatory kick at Diego Simeone. Notably, Simeone’s son, Giuliano, is part of Argentina’s 2026 squad.

Their most recent World Cup meeting came in 2002, when England secured a 1-0 group-stage victory. On that day, England donned their red away jersey while Argentina wore their traditional striped home shirt.

The two nations last faced each other in a friendly in Switzerland in 2005, with England emerging 3-2 winners thanks to a brace from Michael Owen. Argentina wore their blue away kit for that encounter as well.

Lionel Messi did not feature in that 2005 match, having been suspended after receiving a red card on his international debut three months earlier against Bosnia & Herzegovina. As a result, the upcoming semi-final in Atlanta will mark Messi’s first-ever appearance against England.

Messi currently leads the all-time World Cup scoring chart with 21 goals, one ahead of Kylian Mbappé on 20. Both players have scored eight times in the 2026 tournament so far, and Messi will be eager to extend his lead in what could be his final World Cup.

The winner of the England vs Argentina semi-final will face either France or Spain, who meet at Dallas Stadium at 8 p.m. BST on Tuesday, June 14. The World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, June 19, at 8 p.m. BST, at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.